Automatic expanding file drawer



Oct. 6, 1964 J. H. FlsHEL AUTOMATIC EXPANDING FILE: DRAWER Filed Jan. 8, 1952 E @e i w /fr mij. T2, mah/ w fw 1% f/M do /l/ @W/ J /f United States Patent O ce 3,151,921 AUTOMATIC EXPANDING FILE DRAWER Joseph H. Fishel, Hart, Mich., assigner to The Shaw- Walker Co., Muskegon, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 164,741 3 Claims. (Cl. S12-273) This invention relates to an automatic expanding le drawer.

A primary purpose of the invention is a le drawer in which the back of the drawer folds outwardly .to provide easy access to the drawer contents.

Another purpose is a le drawer of the type described in which the drawer will be automatically urged toward an open position as soon as the drawer latch is released.

Other purposes will appear in the ensuing specification, drawings and claims.

The invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the following drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a le cabinet with one drawer in the open position,

FIGURE 2 is a side view of a le drawer in the closed position,

FIGURE 3 is a back end view of a le drawer in the closed position, and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged partial side View of a J'ile drawer in the open position.

A typical iiling cabinet indicated generally at may include sides 12, a top 14 and a back. The front of the tiling cabinet is usually open except for drawers 16, of which there may be any number, depending upon the size of -the cabinet.

Each of the drawers 16 may include a handle 18 and a latch 20 which is eiiective to release the drawer when it is moved to the unlatched position. The latch and the drawer in general may be conventional.

The file drawer may include a front 22, sides 24 and a back 26 comprising an upper back section 28 and a lower back section 30, the upper section being pivotally mounted on the lower section. Suitable guide members or the like 32, as is conventional, may be positioned along the sides 24. The guide members serve to position and guide the tile drawer as it slidably moves in and out of the cabinet.

Mounted along the joint 34 between the upper and lower back sections 28 and 30 is an elongated member 36 in the form of a torsion rod. The member 36 preferably has a circular cross section, but other shapes are equally satisfactory. The rod 36 may have a generally upstanding portion 38 at one end and a generally downwardly extending portion 40 at its opposite end. The upper back section 2S may have a plurality of somewhat circular eyelets or hinge members 42 along its bottom edge which house and mount the rod 36. In like manner, the upper edge of the lower section has hinge members 43. Small housings or covers 44 may be formed in the upper and lower sections to mount end portions 38 and 40.

The end portions 38 and 40 of the torsion rod form an angle other than 180 degrees in the free position. Considering FIGURE 4 as the free position, it will be seen that the angle is somewhat less than 180 degrees. This is the normal position of the torsion rod and of the iile drawer back when the drawer is open. When the drawer is closed, the back is moved to the position of FIGURE 2 so that the upper and lower sections are in the same general plane. When the back is closed the torsion rod is twisted and the end portions 38 and 40 tend to form an angle of approximately 180 degrees. The torsion rod normally urges the upper back section of the tile drawer to an open position so that the contents of the drawer are easily accessible.

3,151,921 Patented Oct. 6, 1964 A suitable sliding latch may be positioned along the upper edge of each side of the section 28 to further control its pivotal movement. The latch may include a pair of latch arms 46 which are suitably secured to the section 23 and extend outside of the ile drawer. Each of the latch arms 46 has an upwardly extending ear or portion 48 which lits inside of a bracket 5G mounted on the outside of the le drawer sides 24. The ear 48 is slideable within the bracket Sii and is arranged to permit movement of the le drawer back to the position shown in FIGURE 4.

The use, operation and function of the invention are as follows:

It is desirable to form a file drawer having a hinged back section to spread open the contents of the drawer when the drawer is open. In this way the contents of the drawer are readily accessible. The present invention provides a pivotal upper section on the file drawer back, and in addition provides a means for at least partially automatically opening the iile drawer once the front latch is released. The torsion rod 36, when twisted to the closed position of FIGURE 2, has a substantial amount of stored energy. As soon as the latch 20 on the front of the drawer is released, allowing the drawer to be opened, the stored energy in the torsion rod will force open the drawer. It has been my experience that hardly any effort at all need be used to pull open the drawer.

The torsion rod may take a variety of forms and in the preferred form consists of a single rod positioned along the joint between Ithe upper and lower sections and having end portions which extend in opposite directions. The opposite end portions should form an angle of less than degrees with each other or should form an angle which is the desired angle of the upper back section relative to the lower back section in the free position. In the closed position the torsion rod will be twisted such that the end portions form an angle of approximately 180 degrees with each other. Itis preferred to have a latch for the upper back section to positively stop its movement after the back has pivoted through a predetermined angle.

Whereas the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it should be obvious that there are many modiiications, substitutions and alterations thereto within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a tiling cabinet, a frame having sides, a back and a top,

a plurality of drawers slideable in said frame and each having sides, a front and a back,

a latch on the front of each le drawer for holding the drawer locked within the frame,

each drawer back having an upper section and a'lower section, with the upper section being pivotally mounted to the lower section,

and means normally biasing said back upper section in a direction away from the drawer front and against the frame back to urge said drawer to the open position once the latch on the le drawer is released and to permit easy access to the drawer contents, including an elongated member extending generally horizontally across the back at the joint between the upper and lower sections, an upturned portion at one end of said elongated member, a housing portion on said upper section enclosing said up-turned portion and securing it to said upper section, a down-turned portion at the opposite end of said elongated member, a housing portion on said lower section enclosing said down-turned portion and securing it to said lower section, said end portions forming an angle other than 180 degrees with each other when the drawer is open and being urged to form an angle of approximately 180 degrees when the drawer is closed, said upper and lower sections having hinged members which overlap said elongated member, the back of said tile cabinet being eective to holdv said upper section in the same general plane as the lower section when the drawer is in the closed position.

2. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that said elongated member is round in cross section.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Whitman Sept. 26, 1876 Rogers June 5, 1906 Straubel July 6, 1943 

1. IN A FILING CABINET, A FRAME HAVING SIDES, A BACK AND A TOP, A PLURALITY OF DRAWERS SLIDEABLE IN SAID FRAME AND EACH HAVING SIDES, A FRONT AND A BACK, A LATCH ON THE FRONT OF EACH FILE DRAWER FOR HOLDING THE DRAWER LOCKED WITHIN THE FRAME, EACH DRAWER BACK HAVING AN UPPER SECTION AND A LOWER SECTION, WITH THE UPPER SECTION BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO THE LOWER SECTION, AND MEANS NORMALLY BIASING SAID BACK UPPER SECTION IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE DRAWER FRONT AND AGAINST THE FRAME BACK TO URGE SAID DRAWER TO THE OPEN POSITION ONCE THE LATCH ON THE FILE DRAWER IS RELEASED AND TO PERMIT EASY ACCESS TO THE DRAWER CONTENTS, INCLUDING ELONGATED MEMBER EXTENDING GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY ACROSS THE BACK AT THE JOINT BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER SECTIONS, AN UPTURNED PORTION AT ONE END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, A HOUSING PORTIO ON SAID UPPER SECTION ENCLOSING SAID UP-TURNED PORTION AND SECURING IT TO SAID UPPER SECTION, A DOWN-TURNED 